Roger Allam's My London

The Thick of It actor drinks pints with Gandalf and buys his meat in Turnham Green

5 April 2013

Home is…

South West London, where I’ve lived for over ten years. Being near the green spaces of Richmond Park and Kew Gardens is fantastic.

Biggest extravagance?

Eating at Corbin and King’s restaurants — The Wolseley, The Delaunay, Colbert. Jeremy [King] is a very old friend so I can always get a table.

Best place for a first date?

It should start on Waterloo Bridge, where you get to see London in all its glory.

First thing you do when you arrive home?

Spend time reconnecting with my wife Rebecca and our boys.

Last play you saw?

The Judas Kiss was really wonderful. I loved that it concentrated on just two events in Wilde’s life, and Rupert Everett was top dollar.

Best meal you’ve had?

About three months ago, the writer Sheila Stevenson cooked me a lovely roast chicken. We engage in slightly competitive cooking, so I will be attempting to recreate it, but better.

Favourite shops?

For food, there are three great shops on Turnham Green Terrace: Macken Brothers, the butchers; Covent Garden Fishmongers; and Andreas Georghiou & Co greengrocer. It’s glorious to get all your food shopping without having to set foot in Tesco. For clothes I go to John Simons on Chiltern Street.

Building you’d like to live in?

The Royal Festival Hall, a very beautiful Modernist building.

Most romantic thing someone’s done for you?

A number of people over the years have had their wicked way with me, in many places throughout the city.

Earliest London memory?

Playing on the bomb site in Bromley-by-Bow with my sister, when I was four. It was a desolate place that became something of a playground. We’d let our imaginations run wild.

Favourite pub?

The Grapes on Narrow Street. It’s a very charming pub by the river, has very good wine and also does good food. One of the owners is Ian McKellen, so whenever I’m there I’ll probably see him.

What would you do as Mayor?

Reintroduce Ken Livingstone’s Fares Fair. A simple, democratic policy that meant everyone could get around cheaply.

Favourite discovery?

When I was 16 I discovered that you could get into The Old Vic — when the National Theatre was there — and sit in the gallery for 15 pence; it was my introduction to the theatre. I used to go on my own to see Laurence Olivier.

Have you had a run-in with a policeman?

I haven’t. It’s not that I’ve been particularly well-behaved, they’ve just never caught me.

Last album you downloaded?

Sing to the Moon by Laura Mvula. It is joyous. I heard her sing ‘Green Garden’ on The Graham Norton Show and thought, ‘Ooh, she’s interesting.’

Best piece of advice?

Judi Dench told me to shut up once. I was probably going on and on about something, in the way that I do sometimes, so she was being a good friend.

Best place for a nightcap?

After performances I go to Café Koha, on that little alleyway round the back of the Wyndham and Noël Coward theatres. I’ve known it for many years so feel very comfortable, and I’ve got to know the guys who work there.